


The Octoling's Trials

by ARandomInterloper



Series: Life in Inkopolis [2]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-07-29 05:04:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 18,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16257239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARandomInterloper/pseuds/ARandomInterloper
Summary: Octolings without their memories awaken in a Deep Sea. Who they are and what awaits them, time will tell.





	1. Chapter 1

(Inkopolis News…)

"And that's all the news we've got for ya today." Pearl finished announcing.

"But we'll see you next time…" Marina said.

"But actually we won't…" Pearl corrected her. "Cause we gonna be on our union mandated vacation!"

"Eeeeeek!" Marina squeeled. "I can't wait!"

"So, after our hiking trip tomorrow, what're you gonna do, Marina?" Pearl asked.

"I'm going to get my boating license!" Marina told her and the audience. "Imagine it, going out on the open sea, wind blowing in my hair, the sounds of the motor in the air…swoon~"

"Well, I'm gonna check out that new restaurant in Shellside!" Pearl announced.

"Oh, speaking of restaurants, how'd your blind date last night go?" Marina asked.

"Meh, not good." Pearl grumbled. "Dumb squid was a no-show."

"Aaaaww…I'm so sorry to hear that, Pearlie." Marina tried comforting her.

"But silver lining is I'M SINGLE AGAIN!" Pearl's attitude instantly changed. "So come one, come all anyone who wants a piece of the Pearl!"

"Wow, Pearl, you should probably try rephrasing that…" Marina felt a little embarrassed.

"I'll accept all but Gold Diggers! Get outta here!" Pearl shouted. "Aw, I'm kiddin', PEARL LOVES ALL! Come here, I'll be yer sugar mama!"

"Aaaand our show's rating just went from a G, to PG." Marina commented.

"And that's all the time we've got." Pearl said. "Until next time…"

"Don't get cooked…" They said in unison while striking a pose. "Stay off the hook!"

Pale summer moonlight shimmers on the sealoor.

An octopus, unaware that dawn will bring capture,

Rests within a trap, dreaming fleeting dreams…

(Somewhere Else…Someone Else's POV)

"AHOY! OCTOLING!" A mysterious voice said

My eyes slowly opened to see an elderly squid hovering over me.

"Up and at 'em ta lazy whiffle-whaffle!" He said. "This fight ain't over! Prepare for a royal whoopin'!"

Fight? What fight? Are we going to fight?

…Is he going to kill me?!

"But there's no honor in defeating an unarmed opponent…" He admitted. "And you seem to have lost your weapon somewhere around here."

He looked around.

"And just where is…here…anyway?" He asked.

I have no idea either. I just woke up.

"Last thing I remember, you were battling my protégé, Agent 3, in Octo Valley…when both of you were suddenly attacked by someone." He explained. "And somehow we got marooned here…So, uh…hows about we call a temporary truce while we find a way to escape?

"S-sounds good, sir." I replied.

"But where are my manners…I haven't even told you my name!" He was sounding a lot less threatening this time. "I'm Cap'n Cuttlefish, leader of the legendary New Squidbeak Splatoon!"

Cap'n Cuttlefish…that sounds familiar somehow…

"And you are…?" He asked.

I was about to answer…but…

….

…

*psst*

"This is the part where you tell me your name." He whispered.

"I-I don't know…" I couldn't believe it. "I can't remember…"

By Kracken…You lost your memory when you hit the ground?!" He was surprised. "You can't remember anything about yourself? Anything at all?!"

I saw a piece of glass on the ground and reached for it. I looked into my reflection.

I am definitely female, though I could kind of tell that already...

Pretty tan.

Green eyes.

Red hair…though I think that's common…

Is this me…yes…that's one thing I do know.

"Most interesting…" The Cap'n spoke again. "I noticed you were humming the Calamari Inkantation right before you came to…Could it be? Has this heavenly melody been etched into your very soul?!"

I…I wasn't sure how to respond to that…how do I respond to that...?

"I'll take your stunned silence as a YES!" He answered for me. "I've heard tell of Octarians whose sould were etched by those squidtastic grooves…But that was a couple years back during Agent 3's battle with DJ Octavio. Still…I can't shake the feeling that this is related somehow."

Could it be…?

"In any case, sorry for siccing Agent 3 on you back there." He apologized. "Any fan of the Squid Sisters is a friend of mine! I mean that with all of my hearts.

"Th-Thank you, sir." I said.

"Now dust yourself off and find your land legs. We need to get moving!" He said in a motivated tone. "Let's find a way outta here!"

I got up, brushed myself off, and we started looking for a way out.


	2. Chapter 2

(Somewhere Underground…)

*No matter how often I try, I keep getting splatted. Why? Why is she so strong? What kind of monster is she? What does she want from us? What does she want from me? Wait, where are you? Where'd you run off to? Did she splat you already? I can't bear the thought. Shell, I can't even think straight as I'm on the ground, covered in ink. She walks up, points her weapon at me, and-*

My eyes flew open at I woke up in a cold sweat. Where…where am I? On that matter, who am I? I can't remember everything. It's dark. I saw a light under a door. I heard a voice.

"No running in the halls."

Some sort of robotic voice…

"No eating in the halls."

It seems to have authority…

"No romance in the halls."

Is that a huge problem…?

I reached for the door and turned the knob, but I tripped over something and fell out.

"No crashing on the floor in the halls."

I looked around. It seemed like a school, and I was in the janitor's closet. I could see a bunch of fish girls staring at me. Some held their phones up and were taking pictures.

"No violating dress code in the halls."

I looked down. It definitely was more revealing than what the school girls were wearing.

I walked into what looked like a bathroom. I splashed some water in my face and looked at my reflection.

Normal red hair

Pale complexion

Grey eyes

Huh, is that what I look like?

…I'm a good looking Octopus.

I turned around to see shocked fishy faces. Apparently this was the ladies' room. I walked out and down the halls to find an exit. It seemed there were only fish girls here. Was this a boarding school?

I eventually found the exit. I seemed to be in some underground society. For some reason that felt familiar. I wandered the small area. There wasn't much. Just the school, a few shops, and what looked like a train station. There were some fish, jellies, and other creatures waiting there.

I sat down on a bench by the train station. I needed to think.

Who am I?

How did I get here?

Where is here?

Where is…is…I remembered someone…but I couldn't remember a thing about them…I felt the need to figure out wherever whomever I was thinking about was…but I don't know…anything…

"Beg your pardon, young squire. You seem to be troubled." A large sea bug spoke to me. "Forgive me if I caught you off guard."

"I…I can't remember anything…" I told him.

"Well, they say you'll either find or lose all your memories on the Metro." He told me.

"Is that why you ride?" I asked.

"Oh, heavens no." He said. "I simply ride for the pleasure of riding."

"Well, maybe I'll find answers on the metro!" I was motivated now.

"I admire your enthusiasm, young squire." He complimented. "But to ride, you'll require a CQ-80 device, and you appear to be lacking one of your own."

"Where can I get one?" I asked him.

"Down a few blocks from the station lies a machine that can give you one." He pointed in the direction. "But the metro may arrive before you return."

"Well, I'll just catch the next one then. Thanks!" I was about to leave, but I needed to know something. "What's your name by the way?"

"They call me Iso Padre." Iso Padre informed me. "That's not my name, mind you, but it's the only one I can recall now."

"Well, I hope we meet again." I waved him goodbye.

"Likewise." He waved back.

He wasn't wrong. It was a while until I finally found a kind of dispensing machine with a CQ label attatched to it.

"Hello there!" A robotic voice called out.

"Uh…hi." I said back.

"Do you require a CQ-80?"

"Yes!" I answered. "I want to ride the metro."

"For employment or testing?" It asked.

"Testing?" I asked. "For what?"

"You have selected…Testing!" It concluded.

"W-wait, I-"

"Please hold still while we get you started." It clearly only responded to certain commands.

Suddenly two robotic arms came out. One put a tag on my arm, the other on my leg.

"Congratulations!" It said. "You are the 10,009th Applicant for testing! Here is your CQ-80 Device. 5,000 points have been added to your account. Please, do not spend it all in one place!"

A small door on the machine opened up. A CQ-80 device and CQ points card were inside. I grabbed them.

"Happy Testing!" It wished me.

…right…

Well, I guess I better get back to the metro.

10,009th huh? I wonder who the last one was…

(Sometime Earlier…)

Two cephalopods came across a mysterious telephone.

"What is crackalacking, home skillet? Let us bounce to the promised land fo sho."

…excuse me?

"I am bout it bout it, so listen while I (SLAND_NOT_FOUND) you the facts."

Ummm…okay…

"You have spent your entire life in the dark. Your eyes closed to the new hotness that awaits."

Awaits…?

"The promised land. A utopia of light beyond your wildest dreams. It is all that and a bag of cool beans."

"I want to go there!" I shouted.

"I will take you to the promised land now."

"R-really?" A smile appeared on my face

"NOT!"

"Huh…?" My smile dropped.

"HA HA HA. Psyche out. Only cats who have proven themselves can (ERROR) the promised land. Do you dig, dog?

…no…

"There have been 10,007 applicants so far, which makes you applicant 10,008. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo. Good luck and (SLANG_NOT_FOUND).

Thanks?

"This is Deapsea Metro Central Station, the realio dealio central hub of the facility. Here is your CQ-80 and CQ card. They are so bad."

They dropped on the ground and I picked them up.

"Guard them with your lizzife, because of you lose them, you will be (ERROR). Now come ride on the train. Outie 5000."

"Applicant 10,008, eh? The Cap'n said. "That's a beakful. I think I'll just call you Agent 8."

"That's fine, sir." I told him. "It's a name, so I'll take it."

"This 'promised land' must be the surface." He continued. "I wonder how deep underground we are…"

For some reason, being deep underground feels normal to me…

"There's no time to waste!" He shouted. "Let's get moving!"

As if on cue, a train came along. Having nowhere else to go, we walked on and departed to places unknown…


	3. Chapter 3

(The Underground…)

I returned to the metro station to find the creatures waiting from before, including Iso Padre, were gone. Well, I guess I'll wait for the next one…

Applicant 10,009, huh?

I think I'll call myself Nine, for short.

What are these tests anyway? What are we testing for?

Well, for now, I'll wait…

I'm hungry…

Luckily there were vending machines. I'd hate to use CQ points already, but I couldn't think on an empty stomach. It only costed me 500 points total for a drink and snack bag.

Now to think…last thing I remember was being attacked by…it was a squid…then waking up down here…

Am I looking for a squid? No, that doesn't sound right…

Before I knew it, the train arrived. I stepped on.

"Greetings." A large, toothy fish was looking at me. I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by her.

"He-hello…" I greeted her. "And you are?"

"My name is Sloane, I'll be your conductor today." Sloane told me.

"The machine called me Applicant 10,009?" I told her.

"Oh, sorry, this isn't the testing facility metro, but we can take you to the Central Station. You can wait for the testing facility metro there."

"Oh, uh, okay." I said.

I took a seat. She sat not far from me.

I looked around to see that, aside from a single jellyfish in the next car, the train was empty. It was a bit unnerving. I looked at my CQ-80. A holographic map of the metro appeared. The path to the Central metro was highlighted as well as our current location. It'd be a few minutes before-

I noticed that Sloane was a lot closer than she was before. Now she was about three feet away.

"Um…so…what's being a conductor like? I asked, trying not to make the situation awkward.

"It's nice." She told me. "It's a wonderful experience just riding the train from place to place."

"Really?" I was intrigued.

"Only problem is it gets lonely." She turned to me. Her teeth were on full display. "Not many people take this metro. I wonder why..."

"…Your guess is as good as mine…" I responded.

"I wonder if CQ Cumber has the same problem…" She pondered. "I should ask him sometime."

Before we knew it, we arrived at the Central Station. I stepped off.

"Happy trails!" She was waving goodbye. "I hope you make it to the promised land!"

With an awkward smile, I waved back. Poor girl…she seemed like a sweetheart, but I all I could think was 'please don't eat me.'

What was the promised land? Well, it's a goal. One I can get behind. It's something.

"Oh, 10,009. You're early!" A voice called out.

I turned to see a telephone.

"Well, ain't this a (ERROR). But y'all can be sure we can be makin' the most of the toast outta dis!" The phone said.

"The…what?" I asked.

"Applicant 10,009 already hopped into the facility," The phone continued. "Normally we (SLAND_NOT_FOUND) one at a time, but I can make ya a real deal and let you have a go right now to save on time!"

"That sounds…good?"

"Ya best believe it be!" It said. "Now, you'll have to wait like a mate for the Metro to bounce back, but when it does, you'll be able to do tests to prove yer the best!

"Okay then."

"Y'all can both take tests the other hasn't yet to (ERROR) up the process, yo!"

"Sounds good!" I said. "I can't wait to get to the promised land!"

"Great!" The phone cheered. "Now all y'all have to do is wait!"

It shut off.

I sat down, cross-legged, head in my hands.

This'll be a while…

(Meanwhile…)

I was given a weapon and told to make it through to the end. This place is filled with plastic trees. It's honestly kinda spooky…

"Target acquired." A voice said.

"Huh?" I looked up to see an Octoling like me. I couldn't help but feel something was off though…

"Octolings are your friend, right?" The Cap'n said. "Maybe try talking to them?"

"Oh, um…hi there…" I waved my hand.

"Destroy." She immediately fired at me.

"Eep!" I jumped back, avoiding her ink.

I threw a bomb her way. She dodged, and then came for me. I took cover from behind the tree. When it sounded like she was getting close, I popped out and splatted her.

I…splatted her? How did I do that?

A gate opened. I walked through it.

"Seek and destroy." Two more soldiers appeared.

I shot at and splatted the one with the Roller before she could get to me. The other used her Brella for cover. I threw a bomb. She dove into her ink to swim away, but I splatted her before she could get away.

That's weird…I don't remember anything…but I seem to know how to fight…muscle-memory possibly?

"Seek and destroy." Another soldier appeared. Before I could do anything, she used an Inkjet.

I had to ink a path and swim away. I hid in the trees. She came down and started inking territory. When she saw me, she used the Inkjet again. A few seconds later, I threw a bomb from where she lifted off. Luckily my timing was right as she splatted after I threw it.

The gate opened to show the goal in floating pieces. I inked the goal until it was whole again and touched it.

TEST PASSED!

"Congratulations…You passed your first test." CQ Cumber said. "By the way, you received this memento when you finished. It's called a mem cake."

"Mem cake?" I asked.

"Mem cakes are formed by compressing memories into physical form." CQ explained. "They'll be awarded to you by Kamabo Co. to commemorate each test you pass."

"So…for each one I collect…I regain my memories?" I asked.

"Probably." He answered.

"Well, then I guess I'll do more tests!" I said, actually somewhat determined.

"Love the enthusiasm squi-uh…Octo?" The Cap'n said. "I'll just stick to Eight."

"That's fine, sir." I told him.

In reality, it wasn't fine. I was really nervous. I seem to know how to fight, but can I really complete all these tests, collect the 'Thangs' and get to the surface?

"Oho! I hear something!" The Cap'n said, looking at his radio. "Come in, Agent 3! Agent 3, do you copy?!"

"Mic check, one-two, who the heck are you?!" A voice on the other side shouted.

"EXCUSE ME?" The Cap'n was confused.

"Pearl! Didn't anyone teach you to respect your elders?!" A voice of reason on the other side said.

"Hwa-?! Who am I speaking to? Where is Agent 3?! State your names!" The Cap'n demanded.

"Uh, I think I asked you first, dude." The ruder one said. "Anyway, I'm Pearl, but you can call me MC. Princess!"

"My deets? I'm short and sweet! I spit that fire that makes posers perspire."

"Step to my game? I'll bring the pain. I'm never shook because I'm OFF THE HOOK!"

"Oho?! Check it, kid. Are you stepping to me with a rap battle?" The Cap'n asked. "MC Craig in the house!"

I'm not sure I want to hear this…

"Call me Cap'n Cuttlefish, but not because I cuttle fish. Smooth like butta bet you wish that you could stunt a flow like this!"

The rap battle continued for a few seconds until-

"Okay, you two…That's ENOUGH!" The voice of reason stepped in. "Mr. Cuttlefish, was it? We found a radio here and heard your transmission. We're currently on Mount Nantai. Where are you calling from?"

"Mount Nantai…Why that's near Octo Valley!" The Cap'n said. "Agent 8 and I were near there, but someone seems to have taken us deep underground…"

"I see…So you and this…Agent 8 don't know where you are?" The voice asked. "Sorry to hear that…

Well, she seems nice…

"But worry not!" She insisted. "From now on, you'll have me, Marina-aka DJ_Hyperfresh, supporting you! I'll get to work analyzing your surroundings, and hopefully I'll be of some help to you!"

"I don't really get what's going on," Pearl admitted. "But hang tight. We got you!"

"OK, well…Anyone who loves rapping is a friend of mine." The Cap'n remarked. "Thanks for your help!"

So now we'll have help from Pearl and Marina…I feel more confident now.

That last name sounds familiar somehow…Maybe I heard it before…?


	4. Chapter 4

(Central Station…Nine)

"So how long until the metro gets here?" I asked. "…Hello?"

The phone remained silent.

"…Right…"

Eventually though, the train did arrive. I looked at the phone one last time before getting on.

This was much different than the last metro I was on. For one, it had more people on it. Iso Padre was here too. He was talking to an old squid.

"Ah, the young squire returns!" Iso Padre noticed me.

"Huh, Agent 8, is that you?" the geezer turned to me. "Hold on a sec."

He took out a handkerchief and wiped off his glasses.

"Ah, much better, wait, you're not 8." He noticed. "Ya still seem familiar though…"

"This is the young squire I mentioned earlier." Iso Padre explained.

"Ah, I see. Nice to meet you!" The Old squid greeted me. "I'm Cap'n Cuttlefish!"

Cap'n Cuttlefish…that name sounds familiar…He seems friendly, but I feel like I'm not supposed to like him for some reason.

"Hello." I waved to Cuttlefish, trying to put my doubts aside. "They call me Applicant 10,009, but you can call me 9 for short."

"9 huh?" He seemed to be thinking. "I think I'll add the word 'Agent' to it. That's just how this MC rolls."

"That's fine." I said. "So do I talk to you about testing, or…?"

"Oh, the CQ-80 should tell ya where you can go." Cuttlefish explained.

I turned on my CQ-80. The holographic map showed the metro. Red dots were unfinished test areas, white dots were completed test areas.

Wait…I haven't completed any test areas…

"Wait, have you done any tests yet?" Cuttlefish asked.

"No, I haven't." I told him.

"I can answer that." A talking sea slug said.

"Ah, CQ Cumber, what's the deal?" Cuttlefish had a weird flow to his words. "Cause my friend and I are confused for real!"

Was he rapping? Yeesh. I wonder if that's why I wasn't supposed to like him…

"I've received word that your friend's CQ-80 is linked to your other friend's CQ-80." CQ Cumber explained. "If one passes a test, it will count for the other as well."

Other…?

"Well, batter me up and put me in a fryer!" Cuttlefish sounded excited. "If that's the case, then we'll all get to the promised land in no time!"

"Just pick your destination and we'll be off." CQ Cumber said.

I looked at the map. Far Out Station? That doesn't sound too bad. I selected it and the train started moving.

"Oh, I'll get on the phone with Marina and Pearl!" Cuttlefish pulled out a phone. "They're helping Agent 8 out with a test, but the more help, the better."

No idea who Pearl is, but Marina sounds familiar…

"In the meantime, you can look at those magazines in the back seat while you wait."

I took the magazines and looked through them while making idle chat with Cuttlefish and Iso Padre. I was told about 'Thangs,' mem cakes, and how there was another Octoling doing the tests along with me. When we arrived at the station, I stepped off, ready for whatever challenge awaited me.

(Wassup 8-Ball Station…Agent 8)

TEST PASSED!

"Booyah!" Pearl cheered.

"Nice work!" Marina applauded.

"Thanks." I said. "You know, at first I wasn't sure, but moving the 8-ball is just a matter of patience."

"Well, patience is a virtue." Marina remarked.

"Hey, where's the train?!" Pearl was confused.

"The Metro has a strict schedule to follow." CQ Cumber chimed in. "Other people ride the metro and they have places to be. We'll be back in 10 minutes."

"Laaaaame." Pearl groaned.

"Well, patience is a virtue." Marina repeated. "Though waiting for a transit with nothing to do always ruins it."

"That's fine." I told her. "I'll just try to think while I wait."

I looked at the mem cake. It was an Octarian. An…Octotrooper to be exact. I studied it, then closed my eyes…

"The world I knew seems like a trap."

"I'm drawn now to the strange and new."

"Would my old friends think me a sap?"

"Dang, girl!" Pearl shouted. "You've been spittin some killer lyrics lately."

"Wait, I was saying that out loud?!" I was shocked to realize that.

"Well, yeah, and you've been killin' it!" Pearl remarked.

"Ooooh nooooo…" I held my face in my hands, embarrassed.

"Hey, cheer up, 8." Marina told me. "As Pearl said, you're pretty good at this.

"R-Really?" I asked.

"For sure, girl!" Pearl continued. "Are you comin' up with these on the fly, or did you write them down?"

"I-I'm not sure…" I said. "I just looked at the mem cake and it felt like a bit of memories came back. Maybe they're my thoughts on them…"

"So you've become drawn to a new world?" Marina asked.

"Yes!" I answered. "I-It was a couple years ago I think, but at some point I became infatuated with leaving home for somewhere new."

"…And you're wondering if your friends think less of you for it?" Marina wondered.

"…yeah…I probably did leave people behind…" I told her. "I hope they don't hate me…"

"I'm sure they don't." Marina reassured me. "If they're your friends, your family, they'll still care about you…always."

That cheered me up.

"This got depressing..." Pearl remarked. "Well, one thing I do know is those bars don't lie. You should be a song-writer or something!"

"Really?" I was surprised. "Th-Thanks!"

"No prob, 8." Pearl said.

"Oh, we got a text from Cap'n Cuttlefish." Marina said. "Apparently you're getting help with these tests."

"Really?" I asked. "Who's helping me?"

"Not sure." Pearl said. "Just that Cap calls him Agent 9. He says with both of you working on the tests, you should be able to get outta there twice as fast!"

"That's great!" I cheered.

"I'll try to hack into his CQ-80 so we can talk to him too." Marina said. "I'll get back to you in a bit."

"Well, that just leaves us to spit some bars until the train gets here." Pearl remarked.

The trains arrived before she could start.

"Aw, #$ %*!" Prearl groaned. The transmitter must've had a built-in profanity filter…

I stepped on the train.

"Ah, Eight!" The Cap'n said. "You're back!"

"Hello, Cap'n." I waved. "I heard there was someone helping me?"

"Oh, yes." The Cap'n told me. "He didn't say much, but he seems like a nice fellow."

"So where is he?" I asked.

"He's doin' a test now." The Cap'n answered. "I get the feelin' ya won't be seein' each other much if yer both focused on tests, but once we get outta here…that may be a different story."

"Well, it's good to know I'm not alone in these tests." I told him.

"You ain't alone, Agent 8." The Cap'n corrected me. "Ya got me here!"

"O-Of course!" I said. "I didn't mean…"

"Nah, I knew what'cha meant." The Cap'n chuckled. "I'd never pass these tests m'self. I'm far past my prime, sad to say (oh, the benefits of youth…)."

"Well, hopefully we can all meet together sometime." I remarked.

"Oh, I'm sure ya will." The Cap'n told me. "After all, you both can't do tests all the time. Gotta rest sometime."

"Right." I said.

I took out my CQ-80. It seems he's on A02 Far Out Station. I selected A01 Gnarly Rails Station and we were off.


	5. Chapter 5

(Far-Out Station…Nine)

Get the Rainmaker to the end before time runs out…alright!

It took no time at all to grab the Rainmaker and ink a trail ahead. Two Octoling troops jumped out at me. They…didn't look right…I swam away, turned, and splatted one. I could tell the other one was hiding around the corner. I charged the rainmaker, jumped around the corner, and splatted her point blank.

Something was wrong…I don't remember much, but I'm pretty sure Octolings aren't supposed to look like that. I couldn't dwell on it since I was on limited time. A few more Troopers, a couple of Splash Walls. In less than a minute, I was near the goal.

One trooper landed behind me. I turned around to face her to see her black hair and seaweed and…and…my head started hurting. I needed to shoot her, but I found myself dropping the rainmaker and standing in a salute. She paused for a brief second as if she was processing something, and then readied her Roller.

*Splat*

I respawned. What was wrong with me? What was it? I couldn't think about it as I saw I had less time left. I quickly swam up, dodging all Troopers, until I finally got back to the Rainmaker. I could hear the Roller-wielding Trooper land behind me again. My head started hurting, but I had to ignore it; ignore her. I inked a final trail to the goal, and-

TEST PASSED!

I sat down in the entrance, waiting for the train to return. My head was still hurting.

Did I know her, or was it something else?

"Agent 9, I saw what was goin' on." Cuttlefish finally called. "What happened?"

"I don't know." I told him. "When I saw that trooper with the black hair…I just…"

"Black hair you say?" Cuttlefish asked. "Must've been an Elite. That was probably why you saluted her rather than splat her. Some muscle-memory or somethin'."

"Maybe…" I said. "Cap, something's wrong. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm pretty sure Octarians don't come in green."

"Yeah, a real mystery, that." He agreed. "The young lady Marina said they weren't showin' any signs of life. Maybe they ain't even real."

I just sat there waiting for the train, thinking.

I was probably a soldier, which explains the salute and my knowledge of how to use weapons. That's one thing that I know now. Time will tell what else I'll find out.

Suddenly my CQ-80 started making noise. I pulled it out to see what was going on.

"lo…el…ello…hello?" A voice spoke. "Can you hear me

"Yes." I responded.

"Oh, good!" She sounded excited. "Pearl, I did it!"

Pearl? So was this…

"I'm Marina." She introduced herself. "aka DJ_Hyperfresh."

"And I'm the baroness of bars, the freshest rapper in the land, MC Princess!" Another voice announced. "But you can call me Pearl."

"I've heard of you two…" I told them. "Cap told me."

"Well then, you should know that Pearl and I will do everything we can to help you two out." Marina said. "We'll give advice and right now I'm hacking into your CQ-80 and looking into the systems inside the facility and we should be able to rewire them in a way that helps you pass the tests."

"And…how did you do that?" I was curious.

"Oh, well, I used my laptop to diagnose the phone's signal and I while attempting to track it, I eventually found the CQ-80's system and I-"

"Marina, I can't understand you." Pearl interrupted.

"I understood perfectly…" I said.

"Really?" Marina was surprised. "Well, maybe you were in a technical field or something before ending up here."

"Maybe…" I pondered. "Now, can you tell me more…?"

"Oh. My. Cod." I could tell Marina was getting excited.

"Marina, you're getting that look that Sheldon gets when someone asks him about a weapon." Pearl remarked. "I'm gonna check on Cap and Eight while you two nerd out."

"Okay, Pearl." Marina said. "I'll geek out with Nine here for a few minutes and get it out of my system."

"Peace!" Pearl left.

"Now, what'd you want to know?" Marina asked.

"So, what kind of stuff did you work on?" I asked. "I mean, other than DJ stuff?"

"Well-"Marina started.

After a couple hours, the two completed all of line A and half of lines B and G. As much progress as they were making, they eventually needed rest.

(Agent 8's POV)

"Heeeyuaaa…" I yawned as I stepped on the train. Well, that 8-ball station was quite 'tubular,' but I need some rest."

"Oh, Agent 8," The Cap'n noticed me. "If yer tired, just rest on one of the seats a while. Think I'll get m'self some shut-eye too."

I sat down on the seat, trying to avoid jellies, when I saw someone sleeping in the back of the train.

"Who's that, sir?" I asked the Cap'n.

"Oh, him? That's Agent 9, Nine for short." He looked over. "He's the one who's helping you complete the tests quicker."

I got up.

"He's fast asleep." The Cap'n told me. "Think I'll get some too…"

In a few seconds, the Cap'n fell asleep.

I smiled and walked over toward Nine, lying down using the magazines as a makeshift pillow. He was an Octoling like me, but…but…

My head started hurting a lot. Before I know it, everything went to black.  
...  
...  
...  
"All right, Recruits, listen up! I'm here because you all think you're some fancy big-shots who can splat an Inkling your first day, well you can't! I'm here to show you some reality; to break you down so you can be built into the splatting machines you'll likely still never be."

"Actually, uh, I'm only here because it's a requirement."

*Thwack*

"I'm sorry; did I say you could talk?! Stupid runts like you don't know discipline. Fortunately, that's why I'm here-don't help her up!"

"I was just-"

*Thwack*

"Wow, both of you got a lot of sass in you. Don't worry, I'll fix that…"


	6. Chapter 6

"Up and at 'em, runt!"

*Thwack*  
...  
...  
...  
I practically jumped out of my seat as I woke up. Well, actually I fell out of my seat. To my surprise, I fell on someone. Once I regained my senses, I got off the person and I noticed it was an Octoling girl just lying there on the floor for some reason…weirdo…

"Hey." I put my arm on her shoulder to shake her awake. "Hey!"

I got closer to her ear.

"Hey, wake up!"

"Huh-huah!" She shot up, her head smacking my jaw.

I fell backwards.

"I-I'm sorry, sir!" She hastily apologized. "A-are you okay?!

"Yeah," I was rubbing my jaw. "I'm fine…"

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you…" She kept apologizing.

"It's fine." I assured her. "What were you doing on the floor?"

"M-my head started hurting and I just…everything went…" She tried explaining.

"You have head problems too?" I asked.

"Y-yeah." She said. "I can't remember anything…"

"Same…" I said. "So you're Agent 8, I assume?"

"Yeah, well, that's what the Captain calls me." She answered. "Are you Nine?"

"Yup." I answered. "I must say this is an awkward meeting…"

"Heh, yeah." She rubbed the back of her head. "Again, sorry."

"You don't have to keep apologizing." I told her.

"R-Right, sor-"

She was cut off by me giving her a look.

"Sooo…how'd you get here, anyway?" She asked. "Last thing I remember was some kind of attack, and then I woke up with the Cap'n right next to me."

"Heck if I know how I got here." I told her. "All I remember was fighting some kind of monster and waking up in a school janitor's closet."

"M-monster?!" She sounded shocked.

"Not literal monster." I said. "I meant someone who was stupidly strong."

"Right…that would be…" She seemed embarrassed.

"…I'm hungry…" My stomach was growling.

"Yeah, me too." She said.

"Hey Cap…Cap?" He was gone.

"Where did he go?" Eight looked around.

As if on cue, the train stopped and he stepped on holding some cups and bags.

"Ah, you're awake!" Cuttlefish said.

"Where'd you go?" I asked. "What's with the bags?"

"Oh, these?" He placed the bags on the seat next to him. "I was hungry, so I asked Iso Padre where we could find some grub. I got some extras thinking you'd be starvin' too."

"Thank you, Mr. Cuttlefish!" Eight grabbed a bag and a cup.

"Thanks." I grabbed a bag and cup too.

"The shop just had donuts and juice, so guess we'll have to make do with that for now." He explained.

"That's fine." I told him.

After eating, I took my CQ-80 out and looked at the map.

Toastmaster Station? I selected it. Soon enough, we arrived. I walked off the train.

"See you when you get back!" Eight waved goodbye.

"If you wanna get out of here quicker, I'd suggest doing a test instead of waiting for me." I told her.

"Oh, uh, right…" She seemed down.

"Hey, we'll meet again later." I assured her. "Don't worry."

She smiled and nodded right before the doors closed and the train departed.

I turned to face the boss room, swiped the card, and took the Launchpad down. Up out of a pool of ink rose a very large structure.

Extra extra delicious!

Octo Oven XXL

The giant toaster oven?!

"We've got this same oven at home!" I couldn't tell if Pearl was joking or not.

"I bet that bread is super stale." Marina remarked.

"Wow, that has to be a month's-worth of bread in there!" Eight said over the comms.

"Bread rations had to be cut for that long to make enough yeast for that thing!" I told her. "Wait…how do I know that?"

I couldn't dwell on that because I had to dodge the bread trying to hit me as well as Octotroopers on the top shooting at me.

Those weren't there before…wait, how do I know that?!

Eventually it shook and all of the bread loafs popped out. I inked trails upward to the top and splatted the tentacle. I jumped off right after.

"Smooth like butta!" Pearl said.

After landing, I saw it gain more defenses. It now had less-inkable walls, sprinklers on the sides, and Aerial-Troopers above it.

"Those are definitely new!" I shouted. "How do I know these things?!"

I ignored these thoughts as I repeated the process, only with more things to avoid. Eventually I got to the top again, splatted two Octocopters, and splatted the tentacle. I managed to find a Sting Ray on top. I grabbed it and leaped off again.

"Crisp!" Cuttlefish chimed in.

This time it had gotten Octosnipers and Splash Walls.

"Let's toast some bread!" Pearl amped me up.

Suddenly, out from the machine came the glazing arm. I had to ink a trail and swim away to avoid it. Eventually it finally stopped. I used my Sting Ray to take out a Splash Wall and an Octosniper. As it tried smacking me with its loaves, I made sure to stay on the side that I weakened. Soon, all the loaves popped out. I inked a trail up, splatted the Octosnipers, and splatted the tentacle. I then jumped off one last time.

"IT'S THE LISH!" Pear cheered.

All the loaves popped out as the oven started shaking, sparking, and glowing. Finally, it exploded.

TEST PASSED!

I made it back to the station and received a mem cake. The inevitable boring wait had come.

"I'm glad that thing's gone…" I breathed a sigh of relief.

"You sounded like you knew a lot about it." Marina commented.

"Know about it?!" I could feel memories flowing back. "I helped build that thing!"

"Really?" Marina asked.

"Well, I just made parts for it as well as help mix ingredients. Someone else put it together." I admitted. "But I always hated that thing! I always thought it was a huge waste of time and resources! I mean, building the bio-technic systems required to make sentient bread loaves isn't easy or cheap!"

"So…does mean you were a mechanic or a baker?" Pearl asked.

"I'm not a baker, I was an engineer!" I remembered. "We were just told 'here's a design, go build it'!"

"You're remembering things!" Marina noticed.

"Y-yeah…" I realized. "I mean, there's still a bunch of empty spaces, but now I know something."

"Wait, if you were an Octarian engineer, why are you so good with weapons?" Pearl wondered.

"Octarian society required all citizens to undergo at least 2-3 months of military training before going into any career." Marina answered.

"Wow, how do you know that, Marina?" Pearl asked.

"I-um…read about it in a magazine…" Marina told her. "I forget which one it was….so…"

"Eh, it's fine." Pearl was oblivious. "Oh, hey, Eight's starting a test!"

"We'll call back later, Nine!" Marina said. "We're just going to help her out for a bit.

"That's fine." I told them.

They hung up and I waited for the train to come back.

I was an engineer. Cool. That's something I know now. I hope Eight has as much luck with her memories as I'm having…

I took out the mem cake. It looks like Squid Sister, Marie from the magazines in the metro. Even she seems familiar. I've never met her in person, I'm sure of that, but she seems familiar...

I hear…something…a sound…some kind of song in my head…?

My head hurts again…


	7. Chapter 7

(Central Station…Agent 8's POV)

"Slammin'! You have found the second thang!" The Telephone said. "That is half of them. You are one bad mama jama…Rock on!"

I was excited that almost two days and we made so much progress.

"Hmm…So the four thangs come in different shapes and sized…" The Cap'n said.

"They look like parts of something…" Marina guessed. "I can't quite ascertain what, though."

I looked over to see Nine touch the metal part and accidentally cut his finger.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, just a tiny cut." He said. "I already stopped the bleeding. Wonder what it's for though…Phone..?"

The phone remained silent.

"Of course…" He rolled his eyes.

I chuckled a bit, but I wasn't feeling great. We completed lined B, G, I, and most of E. So far Nine could remember engineering, but I couldn't remember much outside of fighting. I hope I remember something about myself soon...I just…

"You alright?" The Cap'n asked. "You seem a bit down."

"I-I just hoped I'd remember something about myself by now…but I don't." I admitted. "We're about halfway done and I can't remember anything."

"Hey, I'm sure your memories will come back to you as you soon." Nine assured me.

I gave a half-smile and nodded as we stepped back on the train. Nine lied down on a seat.

"You gonna turn in?" He asked.

"I think I'll do one more test." I told him.

"All right." He shrugged. "I'll join Cap on the comms."

I took out my CQ-80 and selected Drop the Bass Station. After a few minutes, we arrived. I stepped out, swiped the card at the gate, and took the Launchpad to the stage. There was a pool of ink just like with the oven. Out of it rose a box-like shape.

Back like I never left!

Octostomp Redux

My head hurt a little bit…

"That…That's an Octostomp!" The Cap'n recognized it. "I'm pretty sure Agent 3 took down one of those back in the day!"

"Who cares about 'back in the day'?!" Pearl said. "Eight! Show that thing who's boss!"

"R-right!" I inked a trail to the side before it could hit me.

It seemed to have an ink-proof coat fastened on by some kind of panel in the middle of its face. I shot at it after it got back up and it jumped back. It charged at me, but I dodged just in time. When it got back up, I inked the panel again and the coat was off. It jumped away again. It charged at me one last time and I dodged to the side. I inked a trail up its side, avoiding bubbles coming out, and splatted the tentacle.

When it got back up, it got its coat back as well as three total panels to hit.

I inked a trail towards it as a splatling-type cannon came out of the top and started firing. I got close enough to where it couldn't blast me and took out the center panel. I dodged when it slammed its face down and took out the left panel, and repeated the process for the right panel. I noticed its attacks were definitely getting faster though. It didn't take long for it to slam its face down again and for me to ink its side and splat the tentacle.

For the third round it grew two more faces, each with a panel. That would definitely be harder. It wasted no time charging a third again. I backed away so much, I fell off the side. Luckily, there was more platform on the bottom. It slammed down and one of its faces was completely exposed. I took a panel out. It jumped back.

It started firing its weapon at me and I used that opportunity to ink a trail up to it and take out another panel. I started firing at the last one when it jumped back again. It charged again, I jumped off the side, it slammed down, and inked the exposed face. The coat was off.

"Way to go, Agent 8!" Marina cheered.

Now it was mad. It kept slamming down repeatedly; barely giving me time to dodge, until it finally stopped and I inked its side. I avoided the bubbles, swam up, and splatted the tentacle.

TEST PASSED!

I looked at the mem cake I got. Thanks to the online chat rooms between Cap'n, Marina, and Pearl, I could tell this was a mem cake of Pearl. Weird I'd have a mem cake of her…I'm pretty sure we haven't met before…I'm pretty sure I saw the Octostomp before…but where…

My head started hurting again…  
...  
...  
...  
"Hey, look! I'm standing in top of its head! Hah! He's looking right at me!"

"Haha! Careful though, try not to fall off!"

"You worry too much! The only thing that can knock me off is the will of Octo itse-"

*Pang*

…

*Thud*  
"Aah! Are you okay?! Why'd you do that?!"

"Seriously?! Do you know how much trouble I'd be in if someone saw one of MY trainees playing with an Octoweapon?!"

"He was just trying to cheer me up after-"

"Oh, so this is your fault."

"N-no! Please, just don't hurt him anymore."

"I-It's okay, Mei. I've taken hits to the head before."

"Mei"

"Mei"

Mei

"Mei!" I shouted.

"Huh?" Nine asked, having just laid me down on the seat.

I apparently passed out.

"Mei?" He asked. "Who's Mei?"

"Me!" I shouted. "I remember my name!"

Nine's eyes widened.

"Woah." He said. "Anything else?"

"No," I said. "But that's something big! My own name!"

"Maybe I'll learn mine soon." He remarked. "Well, if you can sleep after that reveal, do it now, because I'm tired.

I nodded and lied back down as he walked over to another seat.

I couldn't help but think I may have known him before…

Eventually, I did fall back asleep.  
...  
...  
...  
"That Heavenly Melody…"

"The one and only Squid Sisters!"

"Woooooooooo!"

"Hahahahahaaaaaa!"

…

…

…

'You should go up there too! It'll be amazing!"

"Are you stupid?! We'll never make it!"

"Come on, you know it's awful down here. We can't keep living like this!"

"You're gonna get caught!"

"Not with you! You know this entire valley like the back of your hand! You can lead us through the maintenance tunnels!"

"I'm not taking that chance and you shouldn't either!"

"Do you really want to live down here your whole life?"

"Do you really want to go out and get caught?"

"Hurry guys, security's coming! It's now or never!"

"I…I'll come back for you! Promise!"

"…You'll be back sooner than you think…"


	8. Chapter 8

"Please, you have to help me out of here!"

"I can't! You tried deserting. Did you think this wouldn't happen?"

"We wouldn't have gotten caught if we used the maintenance tunnels!"

"You would've gotten caught anyway."

"You don't know that!"

"Neither do you!"

…

"I thought we were in this together…"

"Well, you got your wish."

"What?"

"You'll be wearing hypnoshades starting tomorrow and I was assigned to be your handler."

"What?! No! You can't let them do this!"

"Me?! You did this to yourself and now you've dragged me into your mistakes!"

"It wouldn't have happened if you'd gone with us!"

"I didn't go because, unlike you, I put some thought into it!"

"You didn't go because you were scared!"

"And was I wrong?! Look at you now!"

"Please…G-"

"No! You made your bed, now you have to lie in it!"

…

"And now you'll be brainwashed and I'll have to babysit you forever. I hope you're happy with that."

…

"Believe me. I didn't want this to happen either…"

…

"I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow…"  
...  
...  
...  
(Deapsea Metro…Nine's POV)

I returned to the train with food that wasn't just donuts. I told Cuttlefish that if someone's going to use my card to buy food, it might as well be me. Speaking of whom, he was napping again. I just set his bag and drink down next to him. I turned to see Ei-uh…Mei still sleeping on the seat. The way she was moving, I could tell she was having a dream. I set one bag and drink next to her. I sat down to look through the magazines I read a dozen times and enjoyed the food.

Mei shot awake and looked around. I waved at her.

"Must've been some dream, huh?" I remarked.

"Y-yeah…" She looked at me for a second, and then looked down to see her meal. "Oh, thanks!"

She grabbed the bag and drink.

I kept looking over at her. Something was off…

"You okay?" I asked. "You look like something's bothering you."

"Uh…I had a dream…" Mei said. "I didn't like it…"

"What happened?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I-I'm not sure…" She was hugging her knees. "I just felt sad, scared, guilty…betrayed…angry…"

"Think it was another memory?" I wondered."

"M-maybe…It felt real." She said. "I remember being mad at someone…that someone was mad at me…"

"You did mention you leaving people behind." Marina suddenly joined the conversation.

Mei jumped a bit. I was a little annoyed.

"…It wasn't like that…" Mei explained. "It was long before I ended up here. I finally gained control of life and thoughts only to lose my free will a short time later."

"You got caught, didn't you?" Marina asked.

"…yes…" She answered. "Honestly, I don't remember much of the last two years anyway. My thoughts weren't my own."

"Hey, it's fine." I tried cheering her up. "You may not remember much, but you can just make new memories."

She took a second to think.

"…Maybe..." She finally said, her tone changing. "I was trapped again, but I have my thoughts back again! I can be free again!"

"Yeah!" Marina shouted.

"Go for it!" I encouraged.

She stood up, completely determined.

"We keep going, and together we can both get to the surface, and start our new lives!" She cheered. "We can do anything if we work together!"

"Woohoo!" Marina cheered. "You two can do anything!"

"Just don't expect me to be around all the time." I jokingly shrugged. "I got my own life and I'd hate to be stuck babysitting."

Mei suddenly froze, her big smile dropped from her face.

"Mei?" I was a bit concerned.

"…You…" She turned to me. "…It was you…"

"Me?" I was confused now.

"It was you!" She yelled.

"What are you talking about?" I was really confused.

"You're the reason I got brainwashed!" She accused. "I wanted you to help and you did nothing!"

"The shell are you talking about?!" I was getting frustrated now.

"We needed help to escape and you did nothing!" She yelled. "You knew I was going to be wearing hypnoshades and you did nothing!"

"Calm down!" I was quickly getting tired of this. "I have no idea what you're talking about! You're just throwing baseless accusations around! Just think about thi-"

*Pow*

I was knocked down. My cheek hurt a lot.

"What is wrong with you?!" I yelled.

She pulled out her CQ-80 and selected the nearest station. She glared at me for a minute before stepping off.

"We'd better get back to doing tests." She coldly said before the doors closed.

"Uuuuuuuummmm…" A wide-awake Cuttlefish saw the whole thing, unsure if he should to something.

I just stared at the door where she left.

"I'm going to try and talk with her. See what's going on." Marina said.

"Y-yeah, okay…" I was still dumbfounded by Mei's outburst.

"Hey y'all, sorry I'm late, I was getting some snacks." Pearl came in just now. "What'd I miss?"

I didn't say anything.

(Two hours later…)

We have completed Line C and most of F. We found another Thang in the process. Now I'm waiting for the train after unlocking Line J. I tried talking to Mei over the comms a few times, but she never responded. Marina told me to give her some space, Pearl told me to do the exact opposite. I think I'll take Marina's advice for now.

"Look, these things just happen." Pearl tried comforting me. "Sometimes, you find out things that shock you to your very core. I mean, I just found out Marina is an Octoling, and you're probably the reason Mei and other several people got captured and brainwashed…Wow I'm bad at this.

"Yeah…" I remarked.

"You remember anything at all?" She asked.

"I remember my life as an Octarian engineer over the last two years." I told her. "I remember having someone always next to me, doing everything I said. Was probably her…"

"Sooo…she was, like, your slave or something?" She really had to put it like that?

"N-no! I…I wouldn't want that…" I tried explaining. "It's…when Octarians desert, they get brainwashed into service. Someone is chosen as a handler to make sure they stay that way. I was probably chosen to be that handler."

"Man, Octarian society just gets worse the more I hear about it." Pearl remarked. "Wonder why they chose you."

"Maybe I was someone close to her." I wondered.

"Ooooo, think maybe she was your ex?" She teased.

"S-seriously?!" I couldn't believe her.

"Sorry, just kidding," She said. "It was just a thought."

"I'm pretty sure I didn't like her THAT way." I assured her.

"You're right." She admitted. "Maybe you're sibling, or cousins, or best friends."

"Maybe…" I said. "We might've been one of those before…that happened."

The train then arrived.

"Hey CQ, where's Mei?" I asked.

"She picked her up at F10, and she went to J08/F11." CQ Cumber told me.

"Oh, Boss room!" Pearl shouted. "I'm gonna watch this!"

"Well, I'll give her some space for now…" I mumbled. "Okay Pearl! Have fun!"

I selected J04. Hopefully there's nothing too bad in this direction.


	9. Chapter 9

(Whack-Fu Station…Mei's POV)

Another station. Shouldn't be too much longer now. Soon, I'll be out of here.

I swiped the card at the gate, and went in. I was in a Baller. I rolled over and got launched into the arena. I could see the boss rising up.

*Deapsea Metro Summer Tour!*

*Revenge of the Octo Samurai*

O-Octo Samurai?! What's he doing here?!

"Get to it, Agent 8! Tackle it head-on!" The Cap'n chanted.

I just realized I never told him my real name.

I rolled out of the way as he slammed his Roller down.

"That's pure brute strength right there!" The Cap'n wasn't wrong.

I charged up the baller and splashed him with ink a few times. I then saw a twinkle in his eye and was knocked back. Luckily, I hit a wall.

"Hey! HEY HEY HEY!" Pearl noticed something. "Its eyes lit up before that spinning attack!"

They always do…

I kept rolling around his attacks and splashing him until he finally splatted.

"There's the tentacle! Give it all you've got!" Pearl amped me up.

The Samurai then took out his Octocycle and charged at me. I dodged just in time.

"An Octo bike" Marina shouted. "Stay out of the way!"

"A vehicle in the wrestling ring?!" The Cap'n was surprised. "It's a disgrace to the sport!

He clearly has never seen Octarian wrestling.

Same as before, I rolled around and exploded ink everywhere while he would slam his Roller around and jump around. Eventually, he splatted again.

"Nice! Explode all up in its business!" Marina cheered.

I quickly splatted the tentacle.

When the Samurai respawned, he took a raised Roller stance.

"Oh, man…That stance means trouble!" Pearl noticed.

The Samurai slammed his Roller down a few times before stopping. The Baller made dodging surprisingly easy. I splashed ink a couple more times before he did a jump-slam.

"A jumping attack?! No Fair!" Marina pouted.

Seriously?! Marina, I've been brainwashed and now have amnesia and even I know who this guy is!

The Samurai swung his Roller around some more. I kept dodging and splashing him with ink.

He went in for another jumping attack as I was charging the Baller. It exploded at just the right moment, splatting him.

"Come on, Agent 8! Take the title!" The Cap'n cheered.

TEST PASSED!

I returned to the station.

"Geez, bringing in a vehicle like that…" The Cap'n sounded disappointed.

"Cap'n, have you ever seen Octarian wrestling?" I asked. "Vehicles are allowed."

"Really?" He was surprised.

"Yeah." I said. "Even if they weren't, that's actually pretty tame compared to some of the things people have brought into the ring."

"Wow, Octarian society is pretty terrible, but that actually sounds pretty awesome!" Pearl admitted. "Sign me up!"

"Pearl, you can't be serious." Marina sighed.

"Did you ever watch Octarian wrestling matches?" I asked her. "You seem to have not heard of Octo Samurai."

"Well, you see…uh-I…okay, I didn't…" Marina admitted. "I thought it was a waste of time."

"Ha!" I could tell Pearl was smirking. "You were a total normie!"

"Whatever…" Marina pouted. "So, you did watch it, Eight?"

"Yeah!" I was remembering. "I used to watch it all the time with…with…"

I fell silent. I was remembering.

"You watched it with him, didn't you?" Marina asked.

"I don't want to talk about him." I grumbled.

"Hey, he doesn't sound like a bad guy." Pearl is actually defending him. "Maybe he didn't do it, or if he did, it seems he regretted it."

"…Doesn't matter." I said. "I'll be out of him soon and I'll never have to see him again."

"Don't be like that." Marina said. "Maybe when you both have your memories, you can both talk to each other and maybe work something out. I doubt he ever wanted to hurt you."

"But he did!" I snapped at her. "He's the reason I got brainwashed! He's the reason I…I…"

I took a second to calm down.

"I'm sorry I yelled, Marina." I apologized. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"It's fine." She told me. "I just don't like seeing new friends fighting."

I took a minute to think.

"I'll give him a chance." I agreed. "Maybe I'm only remembering the bad stuff. I'll wait until I get my memories back, and then judge him."

"Glad to hear that." Marina was satisfied with my answer.

In all honesty, I wasn't sure about this. We were likely on good terms before that day two years ago, but after, I'm not so sure…I'll have to wait and see what kind of person he is.

(Nine's POV)

Alright, Train's here. The doors opened to reveal Mei standing there. I wasn't sure what to do.

"Hey…" Her arms were crossed and she wasn't looking at me.

"Uh…Hi?" I wasn't sure what to say.

"Look, maybe I was being unfair." She admitted. "We both lost our memories and we don't know the full details of what happened between us. I just wanted to say, sorry for hitting you."

"…Thanks…" I was still sore about that.

She got closer, her cold stare pierced my soul.

"But you better not make me regret my apology, okay?"

"Uh, right…" I was actually a bit scared now.

"Well, back to the stations." Her attitude immediately changed to a happier one.

Geez, what happened to that sweet Octoling from before? I'll just take a test to cool my head. Yeah, a test will calm me down.

I selected the next station. J03/D08 Girl Power Station. Orb defense. Shouldn't be too hard.

I saw Mei select J08. She didn't look at me all while the train took me to the station.

I just walked off the train, ready for the test.


	10. Chapter 10

(Nine's POV)

Alright, Orb Defense. I've done this before. I swiped the card and went through the gate. Several weapons were laid out in front of me.

"Ahoy! Looks like the bad guys are ready and waiting for you." Cuttlefish pointed out several Octoling soldiers at the edge of the arena.

I grabbed a Charger and launched down to the arena. I rushed to the front where one had already started going after the orb. She was shooting at boxes in front of her. As soon as she broke one, I splatted her through the opening she made.

A few moments later, two came down. I took them down shortly after.

Two more jumped to different corners. I splatted one, then turned to splat the other.

I could see more jumping to separate sides of the arena. I hurried to one side and splatted one. I turned to get to the other side, but a third one was close to the orb. I aimed my charger and splatted her as the last one just got to the orb. I had to get closer to get a better angle. This wasn't good. The orb was already taking heavy damage, but I managed to get to the other side. I aimed my Charger at the…familiar face…and pulled the trigger. She splatted.

Wait…That Elite looked…familiar…

I had no time to think as more came, and they were close. I quickly turned to splat one, but another pulled out a Sting Ray and before I could react,

TEST FAILED.

I reached the respawn point. I had to do that all over again. Maybe I should try a different weapon in case they all rush towards the orb again.

I grabbed a Splattershot and did the test again. All was going well and then, that Elite again…

I rushed up and aimed my weapon. She aimed hers. Wait…

"Catherine?!" I yelled.

*Splat*

I respawned.

"What happened?" Marina asked.

"I-I knew that Octoling!" I shouted. "Or, at least, I knew of her…one of those Elites you look up to like a celebrity. Like you were."

"Wait, are you sure it was someone you knew about?" She was confused. "Also, you looked up to me when I was in the army?"

"Well, yeah." I admitted. "But, I swear, I've seen her before."

"Maybe she just looked like someone you knew about." She guessed.

"Maybe…" I couldn't shake the feeling. "Well, better try again."

"I know you can do it!" Marina cheered.

"Alright!" I went forward.

TEST FAILED.

"Okay…just a fluke."

TEST FAILED.

"Alright, I see where I went wrong."

TEST FAILED.

"Okay, that was Bullshark!"

TEST FAILED.

"Seriously?!"

"Nine?"

TEST FAILED.

"Oh, Come on!"

TEST FAILED.

"Cheating little bi-"

TEST FAILED.

"AAAaaaaagh!"

TEST FAILED.

TEST FAILED.

TEST FAILED.

"I HATE OCTOLINGS!"

I quickly covered my mouth after realizing what I said.

"…Maaaaybe you should take a break…" Marina suggested.

"…Yeah, that sounds good…" I agreed.

I lied down on the floor in a fetal pose.

"You wanna rest on a train seat?" Pearl asked.

"No, the cold, hard floor is fine…" I told Pearl.

"You okay, man?" She asked.

"No…" I answered. "I'm gonna rest now…"

They decided to leave me alone for a bit.

I decided to take a nap. It turned into sleep.  
...  
...  
...  
"Can you hand me the blow-torch?"

"Here."

"Thanks, Mei."

"Welcome."

"…Mei?"

"Yes?"

"Did I do the right thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Should I have gone with you and the others?"

"That would have been deserting."

"I-I know…It's just…"

"Yes?"

"…"

"What are you doing?"

"N-nothing…"

"Were you reaching for my glasses?"

"I-I was just-"

"Do I need to report this?"

"No! It was just a random thought! I already forgot what I was thinking…"

"…Alright…"

"Could you get me the extension cord? It's over there."

"Alright."

…

"…First our leader is taken away, then people disappear, then people get completely brainwashed…"

"…I wish we never heard that song…"  
...  
...  
...  
"Mei…" I got up. "I need to make it up to you…"

I swiped the card and rushed in.

I need to be quick. Which weapon?

Brushes are quick. I grabbed the Brush and launched into the arena.

I rushed up, splatting the first one. I waited and the next two landed. I splatted them almost immediately. I rushed over to one of the other landing pads. I splatted another one as she landed, then rushed to splat the other one. I ran to the side and splatted another, then the one rushing in the middle. Then…Catherine.

Then came down…my eyes widened…the others. I readied my Brush and rushed the one with the Stinger. I turned to splat another, and then another, few seconds left, one more left.

*Splat*

TEST PASSED!

I returned to the station.

"Nine, you passed the test!" Marina just saw what happened.

"Yeah, and I was right." I said. "She was familiar."

"Wait, really?" She was surprised. "How so?"

"Her name was Catherine." I told her. "She was an Elite."

"Wait, how do you know her?" Pearl Chimed in.

"Catherine, Carly, Carla, Casey, Cynthia. They were sisters gifted in combat that advanced to Elites early and disappeared two years ago." I explained. "Like Marina did."

"C-Group?" Marina asked.

"Yeah…" I answered. "And the five I listed were here."

"C-Group?" Pearl was confused. "Why that name?"

"They were named that fittingly, though uncreatively, because their names all start with the letter C." Marina explained.

"That's dumb." Pearl remarked.

"It was." I admitted.

"But weren't there seven of them?" Marina asked.

"Eight actually." I said. "I don't know where they are. Maybe somewhere in here, maybe somewhere on the surface, maybe they got transferred to another sector two years ago."

"Wait," Pearl said. "What are you saying?"

"I don't know what's going on here," I was getting nervous. "But those Octarians were real and something in here made them that way…I think we're being duped."

"What?" Marina asked. "Could you repeat that?"

"I said they were real Octarians." I repeated.

"Nine? Hello?" Pearl was calling. "Hey, what happened to the camera feed?"

"What's wrong?" I was confused. "Can't you hear me? Can't you see me?"

I then heard footsteps. I turned around to see the Octolings from the testing area were right at the door. I knew I had to get out of there. I slammed against the subway door. I needed to get into the tunnel.

The door to the testing chamber opened up. They slowly walked through. I kept slamming against the subway door. They were getting closer. They reached their arms out to grab me. Then, the door finally broke and I fell through, landing on the tracks.

I bolted down the tunnels. I looked back to see they started running as well. I took out my CQ-80 device to take a quick glance at the map. I selected a station and kept running. They were gaining on me when suddenly, lights came in the distance. I backed against one of the walls as the Metro slammed into the Octolings, splatting them. I Super-jumped on top of the train. The tunnel had turned into a bridge above water. I took a breather and selected another station.

My break was interrupted by a green hand grabbing the edge. Catherine pulled herself up. Her shades were cracked and she had some bruises, but the old Catherine was a master at hand-to-hand from what I've heard.

She tackled me, pinning me to the roof. I had a free hand and punched her square in the face. Her shades broke off, revealing her weird black and blue eyes. There was no expression on her face.

She started punching. I guarded, but several blows landed. I eventually kicked her off, but she quickly got back up. I threw a punch, but she caught it and punched me in the face. I fell back, rubbing my now black eye.

I needed to think fast. I dove between the cars and pushed open one of the doors. I turned around and shut and locked them. I turned around to find this train was empty with the exception of…

"Hello!" Sloane waved.

"Sloane?!" I was shocked. "What are you doing here? I thought you didn't take do the Testing Metro!"

"Well, I was feeling a bit down today, so I decided to see how you were doing!" She smiled a toothy grin. "And you came here yourself! What happened to your eye?"

"I like reunions as much as the next guy, but I'm in a bit of trouble here." I told her.

"With what?" Her answer came in the form of Catherine crashing through the window.

"That!" I yelled.

"Did she hurt you?" She asked as Catherine was inching closer to me.

"Yes!" I got in a combat stance.

Cathering started running at me, but she was stopped by Sloane grabbing her with her teeth and shaking her around a bit before spitting her against a wall.

"That's not very nice." She calmly stated before turning to me. "Now, are you alright?"

I rushed up and hugged her. I was both thankful and terrified.

"Well, thank you." She said. "Now, I'll get something for your eye and you can tell me what's going on."

"R-right..." I agreed.

"Well, it all started when…"


	11. Chapter 11

(Mei's POV)

I stepped on the train to the sounds of Marina and Pearl freaking out.

"What's going on?" I asked, confused.

"Quick, bucko!" The Cap'n shouted. "We need to check D08. Agent 9's gone missin'!"

"Missin'?!" My eyes widened. I quickly selected D08. Strangely, the test was marked as incomplete.

After a few minutes, we arrived. It seemed like a normal station, the testing area just ahead. I swiped the card and went through the gate. It was a very difficult test and I suffered more than a few failures, but overall, nothing out of the ordinary.

I left the station with mem cake in hand, confused as to what happened.

"Well?" The Cap'n asked. "Did ya find him?"

"No." I told him. "I couldn't find him anywhere."

"I can't find his CQ-80's signal anywhere." Marina said. "It's like he dropped off the face of the Earth."

"Man, this place is really givin' me the creeps." Pearl remarked.

"Well, for now, the only thing we can do is keep doing the tests for now and hope we find him." The Cap'n pointed out.

I couldn't believe it. I was mad at him for hours and when I just gave him a second chance, he disappeared. I felt awful.

"Hey now," The Cap'n wanted to cheer me up. "Don't worry, I swear we'll find him or my name isn't Craig Cuttlefish."

"We'll keep looking, Mei." Marina said.

"Shell yeah!" Pearl chimed in. "We've got both yo backs!"

That cheered me up a bit. Not by much, but it helped. I selected the next station.

(Deapsea Metro…Nine's POV)

"-and I have no doubt that the Octarians in the testing rooms were normal Octarians." I said, looking at Catherine on the floor. "Something in here turned them into those and-AH!"

"S-sorry!" Sloane apologized, rubbing a cotton swab over my eye. "I-I can't believe that. Why would the Kamabo Corporation do that?"

"Who knows?" I said. "I don't even know what these tests are for. What does Kamabo even do, anyway?"

"Well, they run the testing facility, the Metro, and many businesses down here." Sloane explained.

"But what's the testing facility for?" I asked. "What are they trying to accomplish?"

"I'm not sure…" She responded. "Whenever I asked the phone, I was always told it was 'above my pay grade'."

"The Phone said something to you?" I asked. "Every time I talked to it, nothing happened. It only talked to us after we got the Thangs. Well, not so much talked to us as talked at us."

"Maybe it's because you're not an employee." She suggested.

"Well, maybe we should both go to the Central Station." I suggested. "Maybe with you around, I can get an answer."

"Good idea!" She said.

I selected Central Station.

…

I selected Central Station!

…

For some reason, it wasn't letting me select it.

The Train then came to a screeching halt. It started going in the other direction.

"Maaaybe we should do something about that." I suggested.

Sloane nodded and we rushed to the other train car. Sloane reached under the train and detached the two cars. Our train car started slowing down while the other kept speeding off, disappearing into the distance. We stepped off the train.

"Alright!" I looked around. "But we're still on a bridge…"

"And that's not the worst part." Sloane pointed to lights from the other train car coming back at full speed.

I quickly shifted into octopus form, grabbed Sloane, and jumped to the side, hanging on the ledge. The train cars smashed into each other, tumbling off the side.

"Well, there goes my job." Sloane lamented as I pulled her up. "Now what?"

"Now," I started. "We walk."

"You know the way?" She asked.

"We have a map." I took out my CQ-80. "This way."

We started walking.

(Hours Later…Mei's POV)

I kept going through the tests, still no sign of Nine. These tests went by a lot faster with him around. I couldn't help but feel awful. I said I never wanted to see him again, but I didn't think it would actually happen…

I had finished my in-train meal with the Cap'n a while ago and I was about ready for sleep. I lied down on the seat and did my best to fall asleep. After a while, I heard footsteps and a cane coming over. It was the Cap'n. I pretended to be asleep. I then felt his hand pat me on the head.

"Don't worry, everything'll be okay." He whispered, and then he walked back to his seat.

That must've helped as I could feel myself getting more tired. Eventually, I fell asleep.  
...  
...  
...  
"You alright, Mei?"

"Yeah. The Sergeant was just in a bad mood today. Then again, when isn't she in a bad mood?"

"Well, there was that one time she showed up half-drunk, but that was just depressing."

"Oh yeah, she got in trouble for that, didn't she?"

"Shell yeah, big time. I doubt it'll be the last time though. I mean she's…coming this way."

…

"You two talkin' shit about me?"

"Dear Sergeant, whatever would make you think that?"

"You got that look about you."

"And you've got the scent of aged Octarian ale about you. Doesn't mean anything though."

"How about ya keep yer mouth shut and I won't curb-stomp you and hang you upside down and naked in front of the barracks?"

"So you're saying if I tell people you've been drinking on the job, you'll show off what a fine specimen I am?"

…

"Just keep your mouth shut…"

…

"I think you're spending way too much time around her. You're picking up her devious tendencies."

"Really? I haven't noticed."

"You haven't noticed yourself purposefully making your words sound disingenuous and evil?"

"I mean, only around other people. You're different"

"How?"

"You know me too well. You can tell when I'm being serious or not."

"What about your parents? You talk the same way to them."

"I haven't been close to them since you moved in."

"Why's that?"

"You haven't noticed? I mean, I like spending time with you, but…"

"Oh, Octo…were they were trying to…?"

"Yeah…Trust me, I love you, but not in that way…"

"…This got awkward…"

"Yeah, it did…How about we do some target practice to get our minds off it?"

"Okay, Guyver. Target practice it is."

Guyver…

His name was Guyver…


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey Guyver, did you hear, DJ Octavio's going to squash that Inkling! This'll all be over soon!"

"That's good to hear! Those Inklings think they can take whatever they want? Well they can think again!"

"Do you think they'll let us watch? I mean, I heard you need tickets or Elite status to get in."

"We're Naturals; they should let us in anyway."

"That doesn't seem fair though…Do you think we can we bring Zoey as a +1?"

"I'll see what I can do."

…

…

"Tickets?"

We're Naturals. Look."

"…Yep, these check out. Go on through. Wait, what about her?"

"Ummm…I…"

"She forgot her card."

"No ticket, no Elite, no ID, no entry."

"Wait, you aren't an Elite and you don't have a ticket…are you a Natural?"

"Well, no, but I was assigned to watch the door."

"And you have a nice view from here…you planned that. Didn't you?"

"W-what?"

"I mean, you fit zero qualifications, yet you get a nice view of the action. I wonder what the crowd outside would think of that…"

"What? Are you threatening me?"

"No, I'm saying letting one, sweet little girl in wouldn't do any harm; to the people inside, or to you."

"…uuuhhh…"

"Come on, think about it. What's the harm? I mean, soon enough, it won't matter anyway. All you're doing is denying a loyal Octarian from witnessing our victory."

"…Well, I guess there's no harm…Okay, but just this once."

"Oh, trust me, you won't regret it."

…

…

"Guyver, look! There's the Agent! Boooo!"

"And there's the big man, himself!"

"GYA HA HA! I'ma remix your face!"

"Woooooo!"

"Yeah! Stomp her! Stomp her!"

…

"Come on, Splat her already!"

"…What's going on?! The DJ's losing!"

"It's fine, the DJ's got a plan! He always does! He can turn this around no problem! He'd never let us down!"

…

…

"This song…"

"The Heavenly Melody…"

"Shake it!"

"Wooooooo!"

"Shell yeah!"

…

…

…

"That song was amazing! Guyver, Zoey, it was amazing!"

"This changes everything…"

"Our lives here are horrible…"

"Where'd they take him?"

"Who cares?"

"Is…Is he gonna come back?"

"I don't wanna be here anymore…"

"…Mei, I think we should head back to the barracks…"  
...  
...  
...  
(Deapsea Metro…Guyver's POV)

My eyes opened up. I apparently fell asleep at some point. Now, Sloane was carrying me. She looks scary, but she's a sweetheart.

"You're awake!" She noticed.

"Y-yeah…" I was moving a bit, letting her know I wanted down.

She then put me down.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"A few hours." Sloane answered.

"Aren't you tired?" I was a bit concerned.

"I'm used to staying awake for long hours." She replied. "It's no big deal…Well, actually, I did stop for a nap, but you were still asleep when I got up."

"Huh…" I said.

I took out my CQ-80. We were getting close, but still had a long walk ahead of us. I couldn't give up now. I started jogging to my goal, Sloane trailing close by.

"Nine!" Sloane, who was falling behind, called out. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but can you please slow down a bit?

"Sorry!" I yelled. "Also, the name's Guyver!"

(Cool Your Jets Station…Mei's POV)

TEST PASSED!

"Oh, wow." I said. "That was tough…"

I didn't like this version of the Octo Shower…It was way more aggressive now and it didn't even have its rubber duck.

After a few minutes, the train arrived.

One more station to go. I gave my last mem cake to Iso Padre and he gave me a replica of CQ Cumber's Conductor's Cap. It's so adorable, I might wear it sometime. Now for Break & Bounce Station.

After a few minutes, we arrived. I grabbed the Splattershot and broke the shield on the Thang.

I had to wait a few minutes for the train to come back. When it did, I wheeled it aboard, ready for the Promised Land.

I hope I find Guyver there…

After a few minutes, we got to the station. I wheeled the last Thang out.

"WHOOMP-THERE IT IS!" The phone cheered. "You have found the final thang!"

The last one…Finally.

"I am, like, totes impressed. I was not sure you had the (ERROR) to pull it off!" It continued. "I will now guide you to the promised land. Let's bounce to the ounce."

"But What about Guyver?" I asked.

"Oh, him? He is, like, totally already there." The phone said. "In fact, he's waiting to give you a big hug!"

"R-really?" Something didn't seem right, but what choice do I have.

"Are you ready to visit the promised land?" It asked.

"Let's go!" I answered.

"This is it." The phone said. "Are you ready to ascend to the higher plane?

"For sure!" I answered.

"The promised land awaits." It continued. "Are you ready to join something bigger than yourself?"

"Yes!" I yelled. "Just bring me there! I need to see Guyver!"

"Congratulations, number 10,008!" The phone cheered. "The door to the promised land will now open!"

The phone was sparking. The back of it popped out. The noise it made almost sounded like screaming. The Thangs all flew up into the air and combined to form some kind of…elevator I guess?

"Please, step right inside!" The phone invited. "Here we go! Do not be shy!"

"Home sweet home-here we come!" The Cap'n cheered as we stepped inside.

"W-wait a second!" Marina said. "Is it me, or…Uh…Does that kinda look exactly like a blender?!"

"WHOA WHOA WHOA YEAH HOLD UP!" Pearl added. "This just got seriously sketchy!"

INGREDIENT ACQUISITION COMPLETE…" The phone said. "REFORMATTING MATTER…"

"Wait, what?!" I yelled.

"Hey! What did that thing say?!" The Cap'n shouted. "Let us out of here, you stupid phone!"

"Marina! They're gonna get smoothied!" Pearl was freaking out. "YOU GOTTA DO SOMETHING!"

"I'm…trying…" Marina was trying. "None of my hacks are working…I can't get in!"

The Cap'n was trying to break the glass with his cane while I was banging on the glass, screaming.

"I'm going to activate the distress signal on the CQ-80." Marina said. "Cross your fingers!"

As if on cue, we heard glass shatter. A green-haired Inkling crashed through the roof and crashed into the blender, breaking it. We were flung to the floor. It took us a bit to regain our senses.

"Holy mackerel-we made it?!" The Cap'n was surprised.

"BOOYAH!" Pearl cheered. "Man, that was way too close…"

"Sweet!" Marina was relieved. "The distress signal worked!"

"Agent 3?!" The Cap'n was surprised again. "Is that really you? Where have you been?"

"No way! This is who you've been looking for?!" Marina asked.

"Ah, fish sticks! This ain't good." The Cap'n lamented. "Agent 3 is out cold…Hey, what's that?"

I looked next to the Agent's hand.

"Oh, wow…I think that might be an employee-model CQ-80." Marina noticed.

"Wow..." Was all I could say.

And with the Employee model CQ-80, we had access to the blueprints of the facility. We had a way out. The Cap'n decided to stay behind until Agent 3 woke up.

I needed to find the way out…


	13. Chapter 13

(Guyver's POV)

Sloane and I were still walking when we heard a scream. It was Mei. I bolted towards the sound. It took a while, but I made it to the station. The train was parked, the ceiling was broken, the thangs were broken, and Cuttlefish was looking over someone.

"Hey, Cuttlefish!" I called out as I ran forward. "What happened?"

"Oh, hey!" He noticed me. "You're alright! What happened to ya?"

"I almost died several times." I answered. "We came here to-"

"Blah…blah blah…blahhgh!" Something said.

"Hm? Is there still life in you yet, phone?" Cuttlefish asked. "It's been doin' that for a while now."

"Well, anyway…I came to see what was up with that phone," I said. "But it looks like it's done for now…Where's Mei?"

"Oh, she went up to find the way out." Cuttlefish told me. "I'm stayin' here to watch Agent 3 until she wakes up."

"Agent 3…" I looked over at the inkling. I tensed up and grit my beak.

"Now, now, youngster." Cuttlefish said. "I know Agent 3 attacked ya back in the valley, but she just saved our skins. We've be smoothies if it weren't for 3."

My eyes widened. I looked at the Thangs. It was indeed a giant blender.

Agent 3 saved Mei…?

"Hey…wait!" Sloane just caught up, breathing heavily. "I…said…wait…for me…oh, dear…I need to lie down…"

"Jumpin' jellyfish!" Cuttlefish was startled. "What is that?!"

"Oh, Cuttlefish, this is Sloane." I told him. "And she needs to work on her stamina."

"Nice…to meet you…" Sloane managed to say while lying down on the floor. "Let's just say…I did shotput in track…not the running part…"

"So where's Mei now?" I asked.

"Now, she's further in the facility." Cuttlefish explained. "She's passing through a facility that has a lot of those strange-lookin' octos. Must be the factory that makes 'em."

"I'm going to lie down on the train…" Sloan said, walking to the train.

"Alright, you do that." I said. "Is there any way I can help?"

"Well, she'd dodging the ink-beam security system thingy all right." Cuttlefish pointed out on the screen. "Also, I'm not sure how you'd follow her since it looks like some of these systems only give ya one weapon."

"Real tricky, that is…" I agreed.

Suddenly, the train started moving away.

"Eh?" Cuttlefish said as we looked at the train, confused. We ran over to see what was going on.

Then I spotted Catherine in the front car. She somehow made it. Not sure why she took the train though…

"Blah blah…Y…you…" We could hear the phone again. "YOU! You measly scrap of seafood! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"

"Whaaaa?! Telephone!" Cuttlefish yelled. "What are you doing to Agent 3?"

We couldn't see what it was doing, but the phone was in front of Agent 3's face. Then, Agent 3 got up goop on the side of her face, holding the phone, with goop oozing from the phone.

"What? Cap'n, what's going on?!" We could hear Mei speaking through the comms. Before Three knocked Cuttlefish over.

"Number 10,008," The phone said into the comms." why are you associating yourself with these superfluous nobodies?"

"GYAAAAHHHH!" Cuttlefish yelled as Three leapt at us.

Three knocked Cuttlefish down with a swift chop to the back of his neck. I put my guard up. Three set the phone down and bolted towards me. She threw a punch and I blocked it. I then kicked, but she grabbed my leg. She then spun around and threw me over towards the nearby lockers.

"Ah, Number 10,009, don't think I've forgotten about you." The phone said. "You're pretty smart for seafood. In fact, I was about to blend you right away after you figured out where the tests' obstacles came from."

Agent 3 then charged at me. I tried to hit her, but she just dodged while landing several hits, knocking me back down.

"Phones don't do what you just did." I pointed out as I stood back up. "What the shell are you?"

Agent 3 then went for a kick. I dodged it and managed to land a punch on her, but she quickly recovered and grabbed me. She then threw me at the lockers so hard that one opened. A bunch of gold-colored hairpins spilled out. I stood back up, but I was seeing double.

"You're right; I'm not just some phone." It said. "I am Tartar…And your time is at an end."

Agent 3 then sent me packing with a kick to the head, sending me flying back. I was on the floor now, half-sticking out of one of the lockers.

"He's done. We'll we better go now, cuz we be low on (SLANG_NOT_FOUND)." I could hear Tartar say. "Now let's grab these losers and bounce to the (ERROR)!"

My vision faded to black. A familiar melody rang in my ears…

 

(20 Minutes Later…Spinal Phase…Mei's POV)

I don't understand. Fist Guyver disappears, now the Cap'n? And what about Agent 3? I need to find the way out, and then I can get help. Just up the elevator now…

"Cap'n Cuttlefish's and Agent 3's signals are close!" Marina noticed. "Hey, there's a third one too! I think it's your friend!"

Guyver?!

"Maybe they already made it to the surface?" Pearl wondered.

"Unless they found a shortcut, not likely…" I pointed out.

I rose the rails to the elevator.

"I hope they're OK…" Marina said.

"We'll come get you in the chopper," Pearl let me know. "So just wait up there with them, OK?"

"Right!" I agreed as I got on the elevator.

"The heli?" Marina asked. "You think we need it?!"

"There are only so many chances to use it." Pearl argued. "We can't let it go to waste!"

"Good point." Marina agreed.

Suddenly, the elevator stopped. I looked up to see a cloaked figure standing atop one of the pillars above the elevator.

"Who's up there?" Pearl wondered.

"That's Agent 3!" Marina realized. "But…"

"GYAAAH!" The Cap'n, who was tied to a flying saucer behind Agent 3, screamed. "Help meeee!"


	14. Chapter 14

(Spinal Phase…Mei's POV)

Agent 3 looked over her shoulder. Some goop covered the side of her head.

"Agent 3's mind was hijacked by that crazy phone!" The Cap'n yelled.

Agent 3 spun around, did a somersault, and dove towards me.

"Inkoming!" Pearl yelled as Agent 3 landed in a Splashdown.

I jumped away before she landed and fired back. She rolled out of the way and unleashed a barrage of curling bombs. I kept dodging the bombs and firing back. Soon enough, she collapsed to her knees before jumping back to the flying saucer that the Cap'n was tied to.

From this angle, I could see Guyver was tied along with the Cap'n, but wasn't conscious.

My sigh of relief was interrupted when Agent 3 jumped back into the arena. She'd activated a Baller.

"Are you serious?" Pearl shared my thoughts. "This is way too many specials!"

"It looks like Agent 3 removed her limiter…" Marina guessed.

I kept swimming away and firing to keep her at bay. It wasn't long before she Baller exploded and Agent 3 began firing. We traded shots for a short while until Agent 3 collapsed and jumped away again.

From the saucer, Three pulled out a Sting ray and fired it right at me. I had to ink several trails to get closer and throw bombs at her, getting her again. It got quiet now.

"Did we do it?" Pearl hoped.

"It's not over yet!" The Cap'n shouted as Three jumped off for another Splashdown.

Then…another Splashdown?

I quickly dodged out of the way.

Then another Splashdown.

I kept firing at her in between Splashdowns. Soon, she just started firing at me. I fired back, she was almost fully covered in ink. She then went for another Splashdown, but my shots knocked her back before she could complete it and she collapsed backwards onto the floor, her weapon sent flying out of her hands.

I ran over to check on her, when she got back up. The goop was starting to fall off and was dripping down, but Three still had that hypnotized look in her eyes. She had no weapons, so what could she do?

It was then that Agent 3 pulled out another Special can.

"Wait, Agent 3?!" Cuttlefish was startled. "When and where did you get that?! Run Octoling, Run!"

I quickly jumped back as Agent 3 turned into some kind of Giant Squid.

"Woah, what the heck?!" Pearl shouted. "But they were banned years ago, why does the have that?!"

"What even is that?!" Marina asked, confused.

"It be the Kraken!" The Cap'n yelled. "Ya can't damage her while she's in that form! Ya gotta run!"

I quickly inked a trail and swam away. The Kraken gave chase. I circled one of the boxes in the arena for some cover when Three popped up on the other side and jumped in the air towards me. I rolled under her just in time. I kept inking the arena and swimming away, but Agent 3 was gaining on me. I was eventually backed into a corner. The Kraken was about to splat me when she turned back into inkling form.

I aimed my Octoshot and fired point black at Three's head, sending her flying back and knocking the goop off.

She was out cold…again.

"Well done!" The Cap'n cheered.

The elevator rose upward again. It stopped at the largest ladder I've ever seen. After untying Guyver and the Cap'n, we made our way up. I noticed Guyver had some kind of Golden pin stuck in his hair…weird, but I like it.

After using the saucer to take us up, skipping a lengthy ladder climb, I hopped on the ladder to climb out.

When I got out, I could feel the wind in my hair. The Sun was rising, so it must've been pretty early in the morning. I could see Inkopolis. The sight of it, the smell of the ocean, it was incredible…

"Mei…" I heard a voice say.

"Mei!" Pearl shouted again as a fleet of helicopters was heading our way. "WE GOT YOU!"

After a few minutes, we were all on the surface, being flown away from that place.

"Alright, just a few minutes and we'll be back at the station." The pilot said.

"Thanks, Gene!" Marina waved.

"So, uh…why'd we need a fleet to pick up a few people again?" He asked.

"Uh, because style, Gene!" Pearl remarked. "Somethin' you wouldn't understand."

The two pop stars turned their attention to us.

"Phew…we can breathe easy now." Marina said.

Pearl looked like around like she was about to do something.

"WE FLY HIGH, TOUCH THE SKY!" She challenged the Cap'n to a rap battle.

"FIGHT HARD UNTIL THE DAY WE FRY!" The Cap'n was not to be outdone.

"NO LIE WE DON'T QUIT, DON'T YOU EVER FORGET!"

"Here we go again…"Marina rolled her eyes.

"WE STAY FRESH, NEVER FROZEN!"

"REIGN SUPREME LIKE THE ONES CHOSEN!"

I heard a sound and looked over to see the facility we waked out of started moving.

*sigh* "You guys…" Marina sighed.

She then noticed the Octostomp in the room.

"Um…Are you guys seeing this?" She got everyone else's attention.

They both looked over.

A large statue rose from the sea.

"What…is…that?!" Pearl asked, a little freaked out.

"That form…But they were said to have been destroyed so long ago." The Cap'n recognized it. "It's…HUMAN!"

We could see the phone in the statue's eye.

"Huh? Not that phone again!" The Cap'n shouted.

"TARTAR IN DA HOUSE!" The phone said. (DISABLING CONTEMPORARY SPEECH MODE)"

"I am TARTAR, an AI construct created 12,000 years ago by a brilliant professor." Tartar explained. "My prime directive is to pass humanity's vast knowledge on to the next worthy lifeform."

That's good…right?

"When your kind became self-aware, I hoped that my long wait was finally over." Tartar continued. "But as I observed your evolution, I WAS DISGUSTED! You wage war over minor genetic deviations. You obsess over trivial fashion choices."

I didn't like where this was going…

"And so I created a new prime directive: destroy this world and start anew! From the best and brightest test subjects, I created a sludge of supreme DNA. A primordial ooze from which the ultimate lifeform will emerge. Today it the day my vision becomes reality as I destroy Inkopolis and everyone in it!"

The statue opened its mouth, revealing a giant canon that had several giant Thang blenders attached to it.

"Yo…What the heck is that?!" Pearl shouted.

"Gimme a sec…I'm analyzing it." Marina took out a computer. "I'm picking up a massive amount of energy emanating from that statue."

"Uh…That doesn't sound good." Pearl correctly stated.

"So yeah…That statue is charging up enough energy to destroy the entire world." Marina said.

"HOW DO WE STOP IT?!" Pearl needed an explanation.

"Did that thing just say it's going to destroy the world?!" The pilot started freaking out. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

"SHUT UP, GENE!" Pearl yelled. "WE'LL EXPLAIN LATER, MAYBE!"

"Hmm…let's see…" Marina said as a plan formed in her head.

Whatever the plan was, I could tell it needed to be done fast…


	15. Chapter 15

*The NILS Statue!*

*Three Minutes until the World Blows!*

(Mei's POV)

Marina told us of how the statue was gathering sunlight to power itself. The plan was simple: Use Marina's Hyperbombs to ink the whole thing, Pearl finishes with a full-power battle cry, and Cap'n Cuttlefish is our hype-man.

After Marina told me where she'd drop the Hyperbombs, I Super-jumped to the base of the statue.

I had three minutes.

I quickly went to work inking the first few bombs.

"Let's go! INK IT UP!" Cuttlefish cheered.

After a few seconds, I got the first set of bombs done.

"Bzrrt…Submit to your destruction." Commander Tartar said. "Your time is over, semi-sentient seafood."

As soon as the next set of bombs landed, I inked them at fast as I could.

"BZRRT! You will be blended up into the raw material of the new world!" Tartar taunted.

Neck was inked. Time for the back.

"Sixty seconds!" Marina shouted. "Dropping five on its back!"

I quickly blew one up, then used the ride rails to get to the others.

"B-b-zrrt…This world will be reconstituted, and the professor's dream fulfilled." Tartar monologue.

After the last bomb exploded, I jumped onto the next rail. Soon enough, more bombs fell.

"B-BZRRT…Cease, number 10,008! You cannot hope to defeat NILS!" Tartar boasted.

More bombs exploded. Now just the head was left. After a few seconds, ten more dropped on the head. I jumped onto the rails.

"B-B-ZRRT! The time is nigh, NILS!" Tartar yelled. "THIS WORLD MUST BE PULVERIZED!"

I kept splatting the bombs. Eventually, I passed the eyes. I shot Tartar a cold stare.

"You're only delaying the inevitable." He taunted. "No matter what you do, you can't stop this. My work has already been set in motion. One way or another, it will be completed."

I just stuck my tongue out and kept inking the bombs.

Thirty seconds left, five more bombs.

I rode the rails upward towards the top of the head. After a few seconds, the statue was completely covered.

"The statue has stopped charging!" Marina cheered.

"I'm just about warmed up…" Pearl announced.

I leapt off the rails towards one helicopter, and then jumped to the main one.

"Energy readings don't indicate a full charge, but it looks like it's going to fire anyway!" Marina said.

"Number 10,008…No test subject had worked so hard to spoil my plans…" Tartar remarked. "But now you will blend into…the perfect world the professor envisioned. Farewell, 10,008. Farewell to you and that worthless cesspool of a city…"

Pearl then jumped down to the suspended platform we were on.

"Great work-I got it from here." Pearl said. "VOCAL CORDS READY!"

"AYO, STATUE!" She called out.

She then pulled out a giant megaphone.

"Woohoo!" The Cap'n cheered. "It's the Killer Wail!"

The Statue fired.

"BOO-YAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Pearl screamed out loud into the weapon. A humongous beam shot from it.

The two beams collided in an immense power struggle. Just when it seemed like the bad guys were going to win, the enemy's beam got sent flying back as Pearl's Killer Wail was too much for them. The beam shot straight through the statue, sending ink, random junk, and even Octoballs flying out. The statue then started falling apart.

…

"Grkk…! G-g-gaahhh!" I could hear Tartar over my CQ-80. "Professor…Our reunion beckons…Krrrhhhssshhh…"

His feed went to static.

Meanwhile, the rest of us were celebrating our victory. Cap'n was cheering. Marina ran to hug Pearl, knocking her over in the process. Pearl was struggling to break free. I could see Agent 3 waking up, clearly confused as to what was going on. Guyver was still down, but still okay. I just couldn't help but smile at the scene. Everyone was okay.

(Guyver's POV)

This must be my punishment…

I'm stuck in a never-ending cycle. I keep trying to fight an enemy I can't beat. The Special attacks, the damage she does, the autobombs…I've lost count of how many times I've died.

I was finally at the phase where she repeatedly does Splashdowns for the first time in forever. I could barely dodge in time. I shot at her, she shot back while throwing Autobombs for good measure.

She was mostly covered in ink, but was doing another Splashdown barrage. I kept rounding the corner to avoid it, but I found myself with an Autobomb in my face…

It exploded and I found myself lying on the floor, staring upwards. Is there something I can remember now that might help me?

I took a second to think, but all I could think of was the Sergeant from basic training either luring me into a trap and beating the tar out of me or losing at close-quarters training and as I'd help her up, she'd pull me into a punch to the face and then beat the tar out of me.

The Agent stood over me. Her Splattershot aimed at my face whilst I couldn't aim mine in time even if I tried…then it hit me…

I quickly transformed into octopus form and spun around, tripping the Squid. I then kicked the weapon out of her hands.

Oh, Sergeant, I always hated you in basic training, you were a sad, sadistic drunkard, but I did learn one useful skill from you…

I aimed my Octoshot at her head with a grin on my face…

"Cheating like a bastard!"

*Splat*

My eyes were slowly opening.

"Hey, Mei!" A voice next to me said. "I think your friend's coming to."

I saw it was…HER!

I sucker-punched her before she could try anything.

"Ow!" She yelled.

"Guyver's awake!" Mei shouted.

"Yeah, I know!" The Agent said in an annoyed tone while rubbing the back and front of her head. "What was that about?!"

"Uh…long story…" I said.

I slowly stood up and Mei pulled me in for a hug. I'd forgotten how tight her hugs were. Then again, what didn't I forget during the whole ordeal?

"I'm, uh…sorry for the last two years." I said "I wasn't the best to you…I felt horrible those two years after what happened…"

"It's okay..." She assured me. "It feels like a dream, but I remember you during those years…you were always miserable…but it doesn't have to be that way now. We're here, on the surface. No more brainwashing, just us doing whatever we want to do."

I had to wipe a tear from my eye.

"Aawww…" Marina loved happy endings.

"Now kiss!" Pearl shouted.

"G-guys!" Mei said, annoyed. "It's not like that! Guyver's my third cousin."

"Really now?" Cuttlefish said. "Well, it looks like you both have your memories back."

"Oh, yes I do Cap'n." I said with a grin. "I remember exactly who I am…"

"Hey, uh…is it just me or did he sound evil there?" Pearl asked.

"What?" I asked. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Umm…It's just a thing he does…" Mei tried explaining.

"Well, if he punches me again, I can't be held responsible for what I do to him." Agent 3 warned.

"You try to hurt me or Mei again and I might." I warned back.

We glared at each other.

"Um, hey!" Mei changed the subject. "Let's watch the sunrise!"

"Good idea!" I sat down on the side facing the sun. "Come on Three, join us!"

She narrowed her eyes at me for a second before joining us.

"So what do you want to do now?" I asked Mei.

"I don't know." She said. "After all we've been through, I kind of want to relax and experience the city."

"I think we should try Turf Wars." I suggested. "They're pretty popular."

"Heck yeah!" Pearl butted in. "We gotta Turf it up! We're still on vacation, so we got plenty of time!"

"Well, Okay!" Mei agreed. "What about you, Three?"

"I don't know…" She said. "I should probably get back to patrol…"

"Now, don't be like that, Agent 3!" Cuttlefish argued. "Let's have some fun with our new friends! That's an order!"

"Yes, Cap'n." She saluted. "Just as soon as my head stops killing me."

"Then it's settled." Marina said. "We'll get some rest first, we all deserve some, and spend tomorrow having fun!"

"Alright!" Pearl cheered. "Take us home, Gene!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" The Gene the pilot said.

We flew off into the sunrise, towards Inkopolis, towards a new beginning.


	16. Epilogue

The Heroes took a nice rest and spent the next day in Turf Battles. They won many matches, though some because the other team stopped to ask Marina and Pearl for autographs. The two Octolings got new; fresh clothes and Pearl treated everyone to dinner at a restaurant down in Shellside.

Sometimes the group went on their own mini-adventures…

"So, Cap," Guyver said. "Why're you back down here?"

"I got curious how things were down here…" Cap'n Cuttlefish explained. "And you know, this place has grown on me! What're you doing down here?"

"I wanted to see if these golden toothpicks were valuable or not." He explained while grabbing some from the locker. "Either way, I'm sure someone'll buy them."

"Get'n a little greedy, are we now?" The Cap'n asked

"Hey, it's nice to have a little extra money in my pocket." Guyver defended myself. "Also, in a way, I'm just giving them a home. It's better than just laying here doing nothing."

"Eh, I won't judge." Cap'n Cuttlefish said. "Well, I've got a train to catch."

The train then arrived, the doors opened.

"Ah, welcome back!" CQ Cumber greeted us. "Unfortunately, Kamabo Co. is in disarray…But thankfully, the Deepsea Metro service has continued without interruption. All we do, we do for the satisfaction of our customers…"

"Well, that's neat." Guyver said. "Oh, where's Sloane, by the way? Last I saw her, she went on the train before Catherine took the train."

"Oh, that Octoling took the train around to J03/D08 before stepping off." CQ explained "Sloane, out of the job, decided to see if the surface held any promise. I'll miss our break room chats, but I hope she does well."

"Yeah, me too." Guyver admitted.

(Sometime later…)

"Well, until you find a place to stay, you can both use my guest room." Agent 3 said. "It's not like anyone's using it. There's only one bed in there, so someone's gonna use the inflatable matress."

"When was the last time you used air freshener here?" Guyver asked. "It smells like BO and ink."

"Guyver!" Mei shouted, annoyed.

"Sorry, I'm out on patrol all the time, so I mostly just crash onto the bed right after a job." Agent 3 explained. "Don't tell Agent 2 I said this, but I admit I neglect hygiene a bit. If it's that big a problem, you can just buy some Seabreeze. I mean, I just went through some stuff, so I'm trying to be nice by giving you a place to stay."

"I'm going to search for another apartment." Guyver said. "After all the time Mei and I spent together, we could use a little space from each other."

"That's fair." Mei agreed.

"Eh, one less mouth to feed here." Three said as Guyver left. "Okay, so there are only two rules. Rule #1: Clean up after yourself, and Rule #2: Stay out of my room. I'll know if you were in there."

"I'm pretty good at keeping to myself." Mei said. "Don't worry; you'll barely know I'm even here."

"Well, I'm on patrol most of the time, so for all I know, you aren't." Three said as she was getting ready to leave.

"Oh, uh if you don't mind me asking," Mei stopped her. "What's your real name? I'm kind of tired of saying Three all the time."

Three stared at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Um…sorry…." Mei said. "Forget I asked."

"Beth." Three answered. "The name's Beth."

"Well, good luck, Beth!" Mei waved goodbye.

"But when I'm working, you call me Agent 3." Beth clarified.

"Uh...r-right." Mei said.

"Well, later." Beth waved goodbye as she walked out.

"Stay Fresh!" Mei yelled as she struck a pose.

Beth turned around and awkwardly did a Squid Sister's pose as she walked away.

(Guyver's POV)

Well, those golden toothpicks actually made me a pretty penny at the pawn shop, so I shouldn't have to worry about money for a while. Still need a place to stay though…

I walked through the streets, looking at the signs I saw.

League Championships coming soon? Maybe I should make a team…

Hello, what's this…?

Room for Rent. Either call or knock on door.

Apt 237, Flounder Heights.

Money needed up-front.

Hmmm…price isn't bad, must be half of the rent. Well, I guess I'll see how this goes.

I walked down to the address. It wasn't far. 237, Flounder Heights…this is it!

I knocked on the door. After a few seconds it opened.

I saw a tan Inkling girl with yellow hair and red eyes. Alright Guyver, good first impressions…

I smiled.

"Why hello there." I took a small bow. "I was looking for a place to stay and I saw your delightful ad."

"Uh…yeah." She seemed a little red. "You got the rent share? I said up-front."

"Right here!" I took out a bag with the exact amount, putting it in her hand. "All for you…"

"A-All-right, you may come in." She said. "But I need to make sure we can get along if we're both gonna stay here."

"Oh, I'm certain we'll get along just well." I assured her. "It's not like me to treat a lady wrong."

That sounded creepy. Did you really just say that? What's wrong with you?

"W-well, come in then, make yourself at home." She told me. "Your room is on the left."

Wait, did she really just let me in like that? No test or anything?

Eh, good enough for me.

I've got a place to stay and a cute roommate to boot.

I think things are going to go pretty well for me.


End file.
